Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2002-02-12
Tran, Huan (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S044000, C347S047000, C347S056000, C347S061000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06345886
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal line head and an ink transfer printer using the same, in which an ink drop or ink drops selectively appear in accordance with a digital image-pixel signal, thereby producing an ink dot on a recording sheet of paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a thermal line head, incorporated into a thermal printer, comprises an elongated rectangular ceramic base plate, a plurality of electric resistance elements or electric heater elements linearly aligned on the base plate, and plural pairs of lead wire elements, arranged on the base plate, which are electrically contacted with and joined to the electric heater elements, respectively. One of the lead wire elements in each pair is electrically connected to a driver circuit of a thermal head controller, and the other lead wire element is electrically grounded. The heater elements are selectively and electrically energized by the driver circuit, in accordance with a series of digital image-pixel signals, in a well-known manner.
With this conventional arrangement of the thermal line head, the electrical energization of the electric heater elements cannot be efficiently performed, because contact resistance is exhibited at connections between each of the electric heater elements and the pair of lead wire elements associated therewith. Namely, the electrical energy, to be applied to an electric heater element, is inefficiently used due to the existence of the contact resistance between the electric heater element concerned and the pair of lead wire elements associated therewith.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal line head including a plurality of electric resistance elements or electric heater elements selectively and electrically energized in accordance with a series of digital image-pixel signals, wherein the energization of the electric heater elements can be efficiently performed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel ink transfer printer which can advantageously use the aforesaid thermal line head.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide various types of thermal line heads and various types of novel ink transfer printers advantageously using these types of thermal line head.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal line head comprising: an electrically-insulated base member; and a monolithic electrically-conductive pattern formed on a surface of the base member. The monolithic electrically-conductive pattern includes a plurality of first electrode sections, a plurality of second electrode sections and a plurality of constrictions, each of the plurality of constrictions extending between one of the plurality of first electrode sections and a corresponding one of the plurality of second electrode sections. The a cross-sectional area of the plurality of constrictions is smaller than that of the plurality of first and second electrode sections, whereby each of the plurality of constrictions serves as an electric resistance element.
The monolithic electrically-conductive pattern may be formed as a metal layer. Optionally, the monolithic electrically-conductive pattern may be formed as an electrically-conductive layer composed of an electrically-conductive coating material. Also, the monolithic electrically-conductive pattern further may include a grounded common terminal section electrically connected to the second plurality of electrode sections.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the thermal line head may further comprise an integrated driver circuit pattern formed on the surface of the base member, the integrated driver circuit pattern being electrically connected to the plurality of first electrode sections of the monolithic electrically-conductive pattern, such that the electric resistance elements are selectively and electrically energized in accordance with a series of digital image-pixel signals. If necessary, the electric resistance elements is at least covered with a protective layer, which a thermal resistance layer interposed between the electric resistance elements and the surface of the base member.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an ink transfer printer, having the aforesaid thermal line head according to this first aspect, comprising: a frame member, having an opening, securely provided on the thermal line head such that the electric resistance elements are encompassed by the opening of the frame member; and a sheet of film that covers the frame member such that the opening of the frame member is defined as an ink space that stores ink, the film sheet including a plurality of fine pores arranged along an alignment of the electric resistance elements, at least one of the plurality of fine pores being allocated to and associated with each of the electric resistance elements. When each of the electric resistance elements is electrically energized to thereby generate thermal energy, an ink drop is formed on the film sheet from a corresponding pore thereof, due to the generation of the thermal energy.
Preferably, the film sheet is positioned with respect to the frame member such that each of the plurality of the pores is placed just above the corresponding one of the plurality of electric resistance elements.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the ink transfer printer may further comprise an ink reservoir provided on the thermal line head, the ink reservoir communicating with the ink space via a passage formed in the frame member, whereby the ink space is fed with ink from the ink reservoir.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal line head comprising: an electrically-insulated base member; plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements formed on a surface of the base member and aligned with each other; and a driver circuit that selectively and electrically energizes the at least two electric resistance elements in each set in accordance with an associated digital image-pixel signal and an associated digital gradation-signal. When the digital image-pixel signal has a value “0”, none of the at least two electric resistance elements in a corresponding set are electrically energized. When the digital image-pixel signal has a value “1”, the selective and electrical energization of the at least two electric resistance elements in the corresponding set are performed in accordance with values of the digital gradation-signal, whereby a total thermal energy output of each of the plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements is stepwisely adjustable.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the driver circuit may be provided on the surface of the base member. Also, the at least two electric resistance elements in each set may have identical resistance values or different resistance values.
Preferably, one set of the plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements contains four electric resistance elements, two of the four electric resistance elements having first identical resistance values, a remaining two of the four electric resistance elements having second identical resistance values different from the first identical resistance values.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an ink transfer printer, having the aforesaid thermal line head according to this second aspect, comprising: a frame member, having an opening, securely provided on the thermal line head such that the plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements are encompassed by the opening of the frame member; and a sheet of film that covers the frame member such that the opening of the frame member is defined as an ink space filled with ink, the film sheet including a plurality of fine pores arranged along an alignment of the plural sets of at least two electric resistance elements, at least one of the plu
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